Monthly Archives: October 2011

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The final two events on Saturdays schedule were the Parade / exhibition laps around Laguna Seca, made by vehicles considered as “significant” Porsche race cars, and concluding event for the day; the Concours on Pit lane.

“Significant” Porsches queued up and ready to go…

After the parade laps ended, these cars and others proceeded over to Pit Lane to be arranged and readied for the concours. As we approached pit lane, it became obvious that the crowd had already descended for a close – up view of these incredible vehicles…

As we continued our photographic quest through the paddock, we found ourselves in front of an enormous, white circus style “big top tent”, under which even more rare and exotic Porsche’s awaited discovery…

Anchored at the end of the tent was the vintage,1968 Mercedes-Benz transport, originally converted by Porsche for the hauling of its race cars of the day. The transport was restored in the early 1990’s by Porsche expert Gerry Sutterfield, and shortly after was added to the Brumos Porsche collection.

As Saturday afternoon wore on, and as temperatures warmed up, we decided to head over to the Porsche Club of America’s hospitality tent, located out on “Cayman island”, just outside of turns 2 & 3. After checking in at the membership/ registration table, and being issued wrist bands, my son and I headed over to the tent to get something cold to drink and rest in the shade for a few minutes. This was a classic example of “membership having its privileges”; this facility and services (cold drinks and a place to sit and rest) were provided to all registered members of the Porsche Club of America throughout the weekend, staffed by volunteers from the many PCA regions located across the United States. This was also the perfect opportunity for Porsche owners not yet members of the PCA, to learn more about the club and witness its benefits firsthand.

And it was here at the PCA tent that we once again encountered Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, who had been visiting with a group of club members, and had come outside to view several of the club members cars. If I recall correctly, the gray Porsche was a 1967 912, still owned by its original owner, and in excellent condition. Dr. Porsche appeared to be enjoying himself once again, and after wishing the assembled crowd well, was off to his next stop.

For more information on the Porsche Club of America, please check out their website -www.pca.org

After being rehydrated, it was time to check out some of the cars out in the Porsche Corral. Located just behind the PCA tent, were rows of gleaming 356’s on display, lined up between turns 2 & 3.

And then we came across a sea of Boxsters, and in the background, rows of 911’s…

Still more photos to come…stay tuned for Porsche Rennsport Reunion 4, Part 5

After returning to the paddock, my son and I came across one of Porsche’s racing displays highlighting Porsche Motorsports. The two cars showcased raced in the ALMS series, and were competitors in the LMP2 class; the RS Spyder. The yellow RS Spyder was campaigned by the Penske / DHL team, and the second, white RS Spyder sponsored by MuscleMIlk.

Immediately to the right of the Porsche Motorsports display was a series of open paddock bays, which revealed a second display, this one a showcase of 911 based race cars. The display featured a range of competition models from the earliest (a 1964 911), to the latest, the 2011 GT3R hybrid.

After shooting this image above ( a 1967 911 R), I was passed by a group of people all moving towards the car for a photo opportunity. I overheard a man ask if he should stand by the door, and when I turned to see what was happening, I realized the man standing by the door of car #181 was in fact Dr. Wolfgang Porsche. What better indication of the significance of this event, than to have a member of the Porsche family in attendance, and obviously enjoying himself. (This would not be the last time that we would encounter Dr. Porsche at Rennsport).

The next car that we came across after leaving “Porsche Place” was this brightly hued Porsche GT3 RSR, still wearing its Le Mans livery, courtesy of Troy Lee Designs (www.troyleedesigns.com), as raced by Flying Lizards Motorsports this past summer in France. (Troy Lee is also the designer behind Patrick Long’s helmet graphics).

Walking into the teams display area, we caught Patrick Long and Joerg Burgmeister wrapping up a question and answer session about the team and their cars, and on the heels of the teams announcement of a new product line being made available by Flying Lizards Racing, designed specifically for the club racing enthusiast (www.lizardms.com).

Our next stop was the Canepa Design transporter. Bruce Canepa has always had some of the coolest Porsche race cars in his collection, and this time was no exception (www.canepadesign.com). Sitting under the canopy was the still warm, white 1979 Porsche 935 that had recently been parked in favor of his 1969 917K, which Canepa had taken out for qualifying.

Shortly after taking this last picture, a blue and orange Porsche 908/02 spyder pulled up in front of the transporter, the driver revved the motor several times and then shut it off. As the crew came over to attend to the car, the driver removed his goggles and began taking his helmet off. It then became apparent that the driver was in fact Brian Redman.

The next car to arrive on the scene was a Gulf-Porsche 917K, #21 driven by Chris MacAllister, and followed by a second Gulf Porsche 917K, driven by Bruce Canepa.

Our next stop was the Brumos Porsche transporter…

(www.brumosracing.com)

After a short break for lunch ( bratwurst and hot links), we headed off to the area outside of the track, between turns 3 & 4, to check out the Porsche 911 chronology display staged on the lawn; the models represented ranged from the earliest 911’s ( 1965 /1966), to the latest iteration, the 2011 911 GT3RS 4.0.

(www.porsche.com/usa/)

We then wandered over to check out the Mothers car care products display. A friend had been invited to show his car at their transporter, and the crew from Mothers had worked their magic to optimize the shine on his red 993 speedster. They also provided their other invited guests with products for detailing and touching up their cars ( for the removal of spectator’s finger prints). And tucked in at the far left end of this display, under the transporters awning, was the Mothers Porsche 911 GT3RS, resplendent in its flawless gray and red paint scheme, serving as a rolling showcase of the company’s car care products.

The marquee out front of Laguna Seca raceway, facing highway 68 said it all, as we pulled up to the track Friday afternoon…

Parked along the “A” roadway leading up to the track (and set back from highway 68) was another rare sighting – a Porsche Rothmans 959 rally car. The first photo opportunity of many to come, and we weren’t even officially at the track yet…

As we approached the crest of the hill, the unmistakable sound of Porsche race cars at speed could be heard echoing off of the surrounding hillsides. My son and I looked at each other with huge smiles on our faces, knowing that this was going to be the start of an epic weekend. After flashing our 3 day passes to the admissions gate crew, we were waved through and sent on our way to look for parking. Fortunately we found a spot on the hill located just behind (for this weekend) the Porsche Hospitality suites, which overlooked the start / finish line, and affords a panoramic view of the majority of the racetrack. It was then a short walk down the hill to the pedestrian bridge, which crosses over the front straight just beyond the start /finish line, allowing access to the infield portion of the racetrack.

Once inside the infield, we headed directly over to the Porsche Park, to see what amazing treasures awaited discovery. As my son and I rounded the corner, there sat Porsche 935 / 2.0, affectionately referred to as “Baby”.

This was a car I first learned about back in April 1977, just as my parents began planning a family trip to Europe for mid june of that year. And since we had already decided to make a stop at the Porsche factory for a tour and to pick up some parts for our 911’s, my dad thought why not inquire about the possibility of attending a race as well. So a letter was sent off to Porsche, explaining that we would be vacationing in Germany during June and planned to visit the factory, and pick up some parts for our cars, and attend a Porsche race if possible. So imagine our family’s surprise when we received a letter back from Porsche, confirming receipt of our letter and sharing with us the details of a tour upon our arrival. But it was the last part of the letter that really got my dad’s and my attention; we had been invited to attend a skhakedown race of the 935/2.0 “Baby”, as guests of Porsche. This was the car that I had just read about, and now we were going to see it race in person; it was almost too much to take. Needless to say, waiting for our summer vacation to begin for me was agony. However all of that frustration was erased when we pulled up to the gates of the Porsche factory, and were directed over to the building where we would meet our contact. And imagine our surprise when we were met by Manfred Jantke, who just happened to be the manager of the factory race team. So off we went on our insiders tour, led by the race team manager. Wow…

Unfortunately, it was during our walk that we learned from Herr Jantke that the race we had been invited to attend at the Osterreichring had been cancelled, and that the 935 / 2.0 “Baby” would not be competing. So imagine finally getting getting to see the car in person, at Rennsport Reunion 4 after being so close 34 years ago in Stuttgart…

“Baby” did go on to compete in two races; the first unsuccessfully, resulting in a retirement of the car and its driver (Jacky Ickx) due to heat exhaustion. However, for its second race, Jacky Ickx qualified the car on pole, a full 2 seconds faster than his closest competitor. Ickx and the 935/2.0 went on to dominate the race, and at the end, finished a half lap ahead of the second place car (a Ford). Porsche had demonstrated that they could compete and win at all levels, and shortly after, “Baby” was retired to the works museum.

Located 90 degrees from this gem sat another Porsche jewel, the Porsche 918 RSR hybrid; 560 horsepower from its direct injection V8, supplemented by dual electric motors residing at each front wheel. With the inclusion of these two electric motors, and in conjunction with its KERS system (Kinetic Energy Recovery System / located in the space normally occupied by a passenger seat), Porsche is able to boost the horsepower up to 767. Hybrid technology for supercars, taken to a whole other dimension by Porsche.

Positioned another 90 degrees from the 918 RSR Hybrid was a one-off factory creation; the 1971 Porsche 16 – cylinder. The motor in this car was developed as a result of a rule change made by the FIA at the end of the 1972 racing season. The Sports Prototype series was to undergo a reduction in engine displacement, dropping from 5 liters to 3 liters, thus making Porsche’s previous 917, flat 12 -cylinder motor obsolete. Porsche’s solution was to develop 2 different motors in parallel; The first being the 16 -cylinder, which was designed to accommodate a range of displacement from 6.0 liters, all the way up to 7.2 liters. In the 7.2 liter configuration, this motor could produce 880 horsepower, making it the most powerful, normally aspirated engine ever produced by Porsche. However, it was the second motor under the parallel development program that rose to prominence. The 12- cylinder, 917K motor with turbocharging added, was now able to produce 950 horsepower. And by the conclusion of the 917/30 Can- Am program ( and running twin turbochargers), the motor was putting out 1200+ horsepower. And according to the vehicle biography on display, this is the sole remaining Porsche 16-cylinder motor.

In sharp contrast to these three, purpose-built race cars, were two examples of Porsche’s new production models for 2012, and making their US debut at Rennsport; the 911 Carrera and Carrera S (type 991).

Stay tuned for Rennsport Reunion IV, Part 2 coming shortly; more photos and less narrative.

In anticipation of Porsche’s Rennsport Reunion 4 descending upon Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to look back at an amazing collection of Porsche race cars assembled at this very location back in 1990.

The following photos are a look back at a weekend in 1990, but perhaps will also offer up a preview of the cars in attendance at the upcoming Rennsport Reunion 4.

With the cancellation of this weeks Cars &Coffee / Irvine event (due to facility maintenance being performed on one of the site buildings), I had the opportunity to sit back and reflect on the many different makes and models of cars that frequent the event, and that I have had the pleasure of shooting. Next to photographing Porsches, another favorite subject of mine over my past three years of attendance has been the Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

I first became aware of the Mercedes 300SL back in the early 1960’s. A friend of my fathers owned a 300SL roadster, and I remember seeing him out driving it around town always with the top down. But it was the 300SL gullwing coupe that made an even greater impression. Here was a beautifully styled coupe, abounding in detail, and with the most magical doors I had ever seen. Several other details had also made a lasting impression; a steering wheel that hinged down to allow easier access into the driver’s seat, the wide side sills that required sliding over in order to sit in the bucket seats, and an interior design that was stark by today’s standards, yet purpose-built for performance. I realized that the attention to detail found throughout the 300SL was genetic, and could also be seen in the earlier models, such as my grandfather’s Mercedes 220 A cabriolet. Thus the 300SL gullwing quickly became one of my favorite Mercedes-Benz models, and still is to this day.

So imagine my surprise when I encountered my first 300SL at Cars & Coffee, knowing the rarity of this particular model. Due in part to this events location, and combined with good sunny Southern California weather, there is a strong possibility of seeing at least one 300SL, be it a Gullwing or a Roadster, almost on a weekly basis.

The following photos were taken from my ongoing “reflection study” series, and highlights the Mercedes 300SL gullwing and roadster models.